Port Angeles City Council agrees to dispose of fluoridation equipment

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles City Council has voted to abide by a public advisory vote to keep fluoride out of the municipal water supply and to remove fluoridation equipment.

The council voted 5-2 Tuesday to pass a resolution that adheres to the outcome of the vote, directs staff to surplus and dispose of the city’s idle fluoridation equipment and removes any remaining fluorosilicic acid from city facilities.

Councilman Dan Gase and Deputy Mayor Cherie Kidd opposed the resolution while supporting the public vote to not resume fluoridation.

The city stopped fluoridating the water in August 2016 after the council voted 4-3 to end the longstanding practice. The majority agreed to maintain fluoridation facilities, hold the Nov. 7 advisory vote and adhere to the outcome of the election.

More than 57.5 percent of city voters who cast a ballot last month said they were opposed to resuming water fluoridation.

The certified tally was 3,194 opposed and 2,358 in favor, a 57.53 percent to 42.47 percent difference.

“This has been a long time coming,” Councilman Lee Whetham said at Tuesday’s council meeting.

“I would hope that the rest of my fellow council members will support the majority of the voters.”

Gase and Kidd said they respected the majority of the voters but questioned the merits of the resolution.

“This is a resolution to do something that we’re not doing,” Kidd said.

“There is no fluoride in the water.”

Gase said the resolution was akin to a vote saying that the city would not offer swimming lessons in Vern Burton Community Center, which has no pool.

“I think the resolution is quite frankly a waste of the legal department’s time, and it’s a negative motion instead of a positive motion,” Gase said.

“And I think it’s quite frankly kind of rubbing the nose of the medical community into the whole thing.”

Many health care providers, including Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Frank, have supported water fluoridation as a way to help prevent dental disease.

Others, including retired Dr. Eloise Kailin of Sequim, president of the anti-fluoridation group Our Water, Our Choice!, have said fluoride is harmful to people and the environment.

“With fluoridation stopped, those who want fluoride can get it from their toothpaste,” Kailin said in comments to the council.

Kidd said the resolution was inconsistent with the August 2016 motion. The motion said the city would maintain fluoridation facilities and Section 2 of the resolution says the facilities will be declared surplus.

“Page 2 is in contradiction to Page 1,” Kidd said.

Kidd added that the resolution omits a “significant promise” that the council made to fund public health education for oral health in lieu of fluoride.